Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Man shoots and kills estranged wife and four of her family members at son's birthday party

35-year-old Tan Do was quiet during his son's birthday party at a skating rink in Grand Prairie, Texas. When his mother-in-law was preparing to leave the party Tan Do pulled out a gun and began shooting. Within minutes Tan Do had killed his estranged wife, Trini Do, 29, her sisters Michelle Ta Pham, 28 and Lynn Ta, 16, her brother Hien Ta, 21, and sister-in-law Thuy Nguyen, 25. He also wounded four more of this wife's relatives. He then killed himself.
Tan Do had no criminal record and was legally eligible to possess a gun. He did, however, have a history of domestic abuse. His wife had obtained a protection from abuse order last December, citing a pattern of physical violence and threats, including an incident last year when she said Tan Do fired shots into the ceiling after threatening to shoot her. But shortly after obtaining the order Trini Do changed her mind. She asked the court twice to dismiss the order. In March the order was withdrawn, along with the prohibition against Tan Do possessing firearms, based on Trini Do's statement that her husband had promised to change.
"I hope that I am making the right decision," Trini Do said in an affidavit.
The couples' two children, ages 10 and 3, who were both present when their father shot and killed their mother and then killed himself, are now living with Tan Do's parents.

Every criminal was once a law abiding citizen........until they committed a crime.

The entries on this blog involve people who are legally eligible to purchase and possess guns. These are people whom the gun lobby would refer to as "law abiding citizens." It is the contention of the gun lobby that stricter gun laws would only hurt these law abiding citizens.